7 Best Anime You Should Watch For Winter 2019

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Nintendo Direct-Style Stream For Switch Games Coming Tomorrow

Nintendo UK has announced it is airing a new Switch-focused presentation tomorrow, January 23. The broadcast is scheduled to begin at 6 AM PT / 9 AM ET / 2 PM GMT and will showcase a number of indie games coming to the hybrid console in 2019.

Nintendo UK will stream the presentation on its website, YouTube, and Twitch channels. GameSpot will have an embed of the stream up tomorrow as well, so you can tune in to it right here. We’ll also have a recap of all the biggest news and announcements from the broadcast.

Nintendo hasn’t revealed how long the indie highlight stream will be, but the company’s previous indie-focused presentations have typically run for about 20 minutes. Likewise, Nintendo has not discussed which games will be shown off, but we already know of a number of indie games coming to Switch this year, including Windjammers 2 and Inti Creates’ Dragon Marked for Death.

The indie highlights broadcast marks the first presentation Nintendo is airing in 2019. The company typically streams a big Nintendo Direct sometime in January to outline some of its new releases in the first part of the year, but so far no proper Direct presentation has been scheduled for this month.

Free PUBG MOBILE Swag Giveaway

We’re giving away free PUBG MOBILE swag packages to three (3) lucky fans. Entering into our Instagram giveaway below is easy — just like and follow for a chance to win!

PUBG MOBILE Swag Giveaway

Official Sweepstakes Rules

NO PURCHASE OR WIRELESS DEVICE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. OPEN TO LEGAL RESIDENTS OF THE UNITED STATES, WHO ARE AT LEAST 18 YEARS OLD OR AGE OF MAJORITY, WHICHEVER IS OLDER IN YOUR STATE OF RESIDENCE, AT DATE OF ENTRY INTO SWEEPSTAKES. VOID IN ALL U.S. TERRITORIES AND POSSESSIONS AND WHERE PROHIBITED BY LAW. IF YOU ARE ACCESSING THIS SWEEPSTAKES VIA YOUR WIRELESS DEVICE, DATA RATES MAY APPLY.

Administrator & Sponsor: GameSpot, a Division of CBS Interactive, Inc. (“CBSI”), 235 Second Street, San Francisco, California 94105.

Prize Provider: PUBG Corporation (“PUGB”), 150 30th Street, Suite 1201, New York, NY 10001

Sweepstakes Entities: CBSI & PUBG

THIS SWEEPSTAKES IS NOT SPONSORED, ENDORSED OR ADMINISTERED BY INSTAGRAM.

1. Acceptance of Rules. By entering the PUBG MOBILE Swag Giveaway (the “Sweepstakes”) operated on the CBSI social web site accessible at the domain “instagram.com/GameSpot” (the “CBSI Service”), you hereby accept and agree to these official rules (the “Official Rules”) of this Sweepstakes and the decisions of the Administrator in connection with this Sweepstakes, whose decisions are final.

No purchase, entry fee or use of wireless device is necessary to enter or win. If you are a wireless service subscriber and have a smartphone, tablet or other wireless device that allows you access to the Internet, you may also enter the Sweepstakes via any of those devices during the Promotion Period (as defined below). If you chose to access this Sweepstakes via any of those wireless devices, you may be charged message and/or data rates according to the Terms and Conditions of the Service Agreement with your wireless carrier.

2. Eligibility. This Sweepstakes is offered and open to persons who are: (a) Registered Users (as defined below); (b) legal residents of the United States; and (c) at least 18 years old or age of majority, whichever is older in their state of residence, at the date of entry in this Sweepstakes. For purposes of these Official Rules, “Registered User(s)” means a person who has successfully completed the registration form, obtained a user identification, an associated password on the social website Instagram. There is no fee associated with becoming an Instagram Registered User. Employees, directors, and the immediate family members of the Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies, advertising and promotion agencies and legal and financial advisors are not eligible to participate in this Sweepstakes. For purpose of the foregoing, “immediate family” means parents, spouses, children, siblings or any members of the same households of such employees and directors. This Sweepstakes is void in all U.S. territories and possessions and where prohibited by law.

3. Entering the Sweepstakes: To enter the Sweepstakes, if not already, become a Registered User (as specified above), and enter, during the Promotion Period (as defined below), via any one (1) of, or all three (3) of the ways set forth herein:

1. Follow @GameSpot + @pubgmobile

2. Like the post related to the Sweepstakes

3. Tag your friends in separate comments on the CBSI Service. Participants may receive a maximum of five (5) entries to the Sweepstakes via this entry method; one (1) per each unique friend tagged.

Limit of seven (7) entries per person during the Promotion Period.

4. Promotion Period. The Sweepstakes begins on January 22, 2019 at 12:00 p.m. Pacific Time (“PT”) and ends at 12:00 p.m. PT on January 28, 2019 (the “Promotion Period”).

5. Prizes. The Sweepstakes will award three (3) prizes (the “Prizes”). Each Prize consists of one (1) PUBG MOBILE swag bag. Each Prize has an approximate retail value (“ARV”) of One Hundred Fifty Dollars (US$150.00). Total ARV of all Prizes to be awarded in this Sweepstakes is Four Hundred Fifty Dollars (US$450.00).

6. Prize Restrictions. No assignment, transfer, conversion to cash or cash redemption or substitution of a Prize is permitted, except Administrator reserves the right to substitute a Prize with a prize of comparable or greater value, should a Prize or part of a Prize become unavailable. Prize is solely for personal use and may not be used in conjunction with any other promotion. All Prize details are at the sole discretion of the Sweepstakes Entities.

7. Odds/Drawings/Winner Notification. Odds of winning a Prize depends on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period. On or about January 29, 2019, the Prize drawings will be conducted at random by Administrator, whose decisions are final and binding in all respects. The potential Prize winners (the “Winners”) will be notified by Administrator, via a message to their Instagram Service account. Potential Winners will be asked to provide their personal information, such as their name, physical address, date of birth and phone number in order to confirm eligibility and compliance with these Official Rules. Administrator will select up to two (2) alternate Winners per Prize. If no contact has been made with the alternates after a reasonable effort has been made during three (3) business days from the first notification attempt to the last alternate, such Prize will not be awarded.

8. Prize Taxes. All federal, state, local and other tax liabilities arising from this Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, winning a Prize, will be the sole responsibility of each Winner.

9. Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release and Publicity Release. Winners may be required to complete, execute and return an Affidavit of Eligibility/Liability Release, and where lawful, a Publicity Release (collectively, the “Release Forms”), as well as a W-9 tax form within five (5) days of notification of winning. Failure to return Release Forms timely, or if a Prize notification or a Prize is returned as non-deliverable, or if a Winner is found not to be eligible or not in compliance with these Official Rules, may result in disqualification with an alternate Winner selected in accordance with these Official Rules.

10. Publicity Release Terms. Except where prohibited by law, a Winner’s acceptance of a Prize constitutes permission for the Sweepstakes Entities to use Winner’s name, photograph, likeness, statements, biographical information, voice, and address (city and state) worldwide and in all forms of media, in perpetuity, without further compensation.

11. Improper Conduct. Administrator, in its sole discretion, may disqualify any entrant from participation in or use of any or all portions of this Sweepstakes, and refuse to award a Prize, if a Winner engage(s) in any conduct Administrator deems to be improper, unfair or otherwise adverse to the operation of the Sweepstakes or detrimental to other entrants of the Sweepstakes. Such improper conduct includes, without limitation, falsifying personal information required during entrant registration or Prize claim, violating any term or condition stated herein, accumulating entries through methods such as automated computer scripts or any other programming techniques, allowing others to use entrant’s personal information for the purpose of accumulating entries, or intentionally trying to defraud, reverse engineer, disassemble or otherwise tamper with the computer programs in connection with this Sweepstakes. Winners agree that Administrator may void a Prize or any part of a Prize that a Winner may have won and/or require the return of a Prize or any part of a Prize that a Winner may have won as a result of such improper conduct. Winners further acknowledge that any forfeiture of a Prize and/or return of a Prize shall in no way prevent Administrator from pursuing other avenues of recourse, such as criminal or civil proceedings in connection with such conduct. WARNING: ANY ATTEMPT TO DELIBERATELY DAMAGE OR UNDERMINE THE LEGITIMATE OPERATION OF THIS SWEEPSTAKES MAY BE A VIOLATION OF CRIMINAL AND CIVIL LAWS, AND SHOULD SUCH AN ATTEMPT BE MADE, EACH OF THE SWEEPSTAKES ENTITIES RESERVES THE RIGHT TO SEEK DAMAGES OR OTHER REMEDIES FROM ANY SUCH PERSON(S) RESPONSIBLE FOR SUCH ATTEMPT TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW.

12. Integrity of Sweepstakes. If, for any reason, the Sweepstakes is not capable of running as planned by reason of infection by computer virus, worms, bugs, tampering, unauthorized intervention, fraud, technical failures, or any other causes which Administrator, in its sole opinion believes could corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity or proper conduct of this Sweepstakes, Administrator reserves the right at its sole discretion to cancel, terminate, modify or suspend this Sweepstakes and select the Winners from entries received prior to the action taken or in such other manner as Administrator may deem fair and appropriate.

13. Lost or Corrupted Entries. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, lost, late, incomplete, corrupted, stolen, misdirected, illegible or postage-due entries or mail, if applicable; or for any computer, telephone, cable, network, satellite, electronic or Internet hardware or software malfunctions, unauthorized human intervention, or the incorrect or inaccurate capture of entry or other information, or the failure to capture any such information. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, are not responsible for any incorrect or inaccurate information, whether caused by registration information submitted by end users or tampering, hacking or by any of the equipment or programming associated with or utilized in this Sweepstakes, and assumes no responsibility for any error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, communications line failure, theft or destruction or unauthorized access to the Sweepstakes.

14. Damaged Property. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, injury or damage to any entrants or to any other person’s computer or property related to or resulting from participating in this Sweepstakes or downloading materials from this Sweepstakes.

15. Sweepstakes Errors. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with errors and/or ambiguity: (a) in the Sweepstakes; (b) in any related advertising or promotions of this Sweepstakes; and/or (c) in these Official Rules. In the event of any ambiguity(s) or error(s) in these Official Rules, Administrator reserves the right to modify these Official Rules for clarification purposes or to correct any such ambiguity(s) or error(s) without materially affecting the terms and conditions of the Sweepstakes.

16. Prizes and Winners. The Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliated and subsidiary companies and advertising and promotion agencies, assume no liability and are not responsible for, and you/entrant hereby forever waive any rights to any claim in connection with, the selection and announcement of the Winners, the distribution of the Prizes, the acceptance/possession and/or use/misuse of any part of a Prize and/or any injury or damage to any entrant’s or third person’s property related to or resulting from any part of a Prize or any part of this Sweepstakes.

17. Release and Indemnity. Each entrant in this Sweepstakes, including, without limitation, the Winners, hereby releases and agrees to hold harmless the Sweepstakes Entities and their parents, affiliates, subsidiaries, advertising and promotion agencies and their respective directors, officers, employees, representatives and agents from any and all liability for any injuries, loss or damage of any kind to person, including death, and property, arising in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from acceptance, possession, use or misuse of a Prize, participation in this Sweepstakes and participation in any activity related to this Sweepstakes.

18. Limitation of Liability. IN NO EVENT WILL THE SWEEPSTAKES ENTITIES, THEIR PARENTS, AFFILIATES, SUBSIDIARIES AND RELATED COMPANIES, THEIR ADVERTISING OR PROMOTION AGENCIES OR THEIR RESPECTIVE OFFICERS, DIRECTORS, EMPLOYEES, REPRESENTATIVES AND AGENTS, BE RESPONSIBLE OR LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES OR LOSSES OF ANY KIND, INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES ARISING OUT OF YOUR ACCESS TO AND USE OF THE SWEEPSTAKES OR THE DOWNLOADING FROM AND/OR PRINTING MATERIAL DOWNLOADED FROM THE SWEEPSTAKES. SOME JURISDICTIONS MAY NOT ALLOW THE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSION OF LIABILITY FOR INCIDENTAL OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES OR EXCLUSION OF IMPLIED WARRANTIES, SO SOME OF THE ABOVE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS MAY NOT APPLY TO YOU. CHECK YOUR LOCAL LAWS FOR ANY RESTRICTIONS OR LIMITATIONS REGARDING THESE LIMITATIONS OR EXCLUSIONS.

19. Disclaimer of Warranties. THE SWEEPSTAKES AND PRIZES ARE PROVIDED “AS IS” WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESSED OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR NON-INFRINGEMENT.

20. Identity Disputes. In the event of a dispute as to the identity of the winner based on an email address, the winning entry will be declared made by the Authorized Account Holder of the email address and/or wireless phone number submitted at time of registration into Instagram and/or entry into the Sweepstakes. For purposes of these Official Rules, “Authorized Account Holder” is defined as the natural person who is assigned to an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization (e.g., business, educational, institution, etc.) that is responsible for assigning email addresses for the domain associated with the submitted email address.

21. Binding Arbitration. The parties waive all rights to trial in any action or proceeding instituted in connection with these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes. Any controversy or claim, arising out of, or relating to, these Official Rules and/or this Sweepstakes shall be settled by binding arbitration in accordance with the commercial arbitration rules of the American Arbitration Association. Any such controversy or claim shall be arbitrated on an individual basis and shall not be consolidated in any arbitration with any claim or controversy of any other party. The arbitration shall be conducted in the State of New York, in the City of New York and judgment on the arbitration award may be entered into any court having jurisdiction thereof.

22. Governing Law and Jurisdiction. This promotion is governed by U.S. law and is subject to all applicable federal, state and local laws and regulations. Void where prohibited by law. All issues and questions concerning the construction, validity, interpretation and enforceability of these Official Rules, or the rights and obligations of entrant and Administrator in connection with this Sweepstakes, shall be governed by, and construed in accordance with, the laws of the State of New York, U.S.A., without giving effect to the conflict of laws rules thereof, and any matters or proceedings which are not subject to arbitration, as set forth in Section 21 of these Official Rules and/or for entering any judgment on an arbitration award, shall take place in the State of New York, in the City of New York.

23. Winner’s List/Official Rules. For the name of the Winners, send a self-addressed stamped envelope for receipt by February 15, 2019 to “Winner List, PUBG MOBILE Swag Giveaway” 1401 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 200, Fort Lauderdale, FL 33309. For Official Rules, send a self-addressed stamped envelope to the above address marked “Official Rules: PUBG MOBILE Swag Giveaway” for receipt by February 15, 2019. Residents of VT may omit postage on the self-addressed envelope. The name of the Winners may be posted, and the Official Rules will be posted on the CBSI Service (i.e. GameSpot.com).

New Xbox One Game Deals Available Now On Xbox Live

A new sale is underway in the Microsoft Store. From now through January 28, Xbox One and Xbox 360 owners can find some steep discounts on a variety of games for each console, with some particularly good deals available across the wide-ranging Tom Clancy series.

On the Xbox One side, players can pick up the popular tactical shooters Rainbow Six Siege and Ghost Recon Wildlands for $15 each. If you’re looking for even more Wildlands content, the game’s season pass is also on sale for $26, while its Year 2 pass is $22.49. If you’re interested in trying out The Division before its sequel arrives this March, the first game is available for $10, and its various DLC packs are also discounted.

On Xbox 360, both Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter and its sequel are on sale for $8 apiece, and Ghost Recon Future Soldier is discounted to $10. Rainbow Six Vegas is available for $6.59, while the three most recent installments in the Splinter Cell series–Double Agent, Conviction, and Blacklist–are on sale for $10 each. Thanks to backwards compatibility, most of these titles are also playable on Xbox One.

Beyond the Tom Clancy sale, a number of other recent and popular games are also discounted as part of this week’s Deals with Gold. Xbox Live Gold members can grab the Xbox One versions of Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 for $39, NHL 19 for $19.80, Hitman 2 for $42, and Grand Theft Auto V for $15. On the Xbox 360, each entry in the Dead Space trilogy is on sale, as are Dante’s Inferno and Alice: Madness Returns, among other titles.

This week’s sale will run until 3 AM PT / 6 AM ET on January 29. We’ve rounded up some other notable deals below; the full list of discounted titles can be found on Major Nelson’s blog. Xbox Live Gold members also still have a few more days to grab the remainder of this month’s Games with Gold, which will remain free through the end of the month.

This Week’s Xbox One Game Deals

Xbox One

Xbox 360

* denotes a Deal with Gold

Hong Kong Massacre Gameplay Live

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New Free Game From Twitch/Amazon Prime Out Now, Before You Can Buy It

Twitch Prime regularly offers free games on a monthly basis, but January’s offerings come with a twist. The company added an extra game to its rotation, and on top of that, it released it a few days before it’s available widely to the public.

The new puzzle-platformer Pikuniku is available through Twitch Prime until February 28. However, it isn’t actually out until January 24, so for the next few days you can grab it before it goes on sale. To claim your free games, you’ll just have to link your Twitch Prime account to your Amazon account and then claim the games through the Twitch Prime site.

January’s other Prime games include Hyper Light Drifter, Bomber Crew, Republique, and Orwell. The service is also still offering the Devolver Digital Holiday Pack, which contains The Messenger, Broforce, Hotline Miami, Hotline Miami 2: Wrong Number, Strafe, Crossing Souls, and The Swords of Ditto. All of those are available until January 31, and once you claim them, they’re yours forever.

“While Pikuniku is a light experience, it’s got enough charm and verve to stick with you well beyond completion,” critic James O’Connor wrote in GameSpot’s Pikuniku review. “From Piku’s weird wobbly gait and looping jumps in the opening right through to the game’s funny, bizarre ending, Pikuniku is more gripping than its simple aesthetic and playful tone would suggest. It’ll make you feel like a kid again.”

Anthem: Everything We Learned After 20 Hours of Gameplay

Anthem is just around the corner and all month long we’ve been covering it as part of IGN First. For our big deep dive this month, we got the opportunity to go to BioWare and play over 20 hours of Anthem in a work-in-progress state.

With that knowledge we’ve returned to share what we learned in order to give you a better understanding of what Anthem is going to be like, and how to decipher some of its lesser-known aspects – especially if you intend on spending any time in the upcoming demo. While some of this you may already know if you’ve been following Anthem, some of it you likely don’t, so let’s get into it.

Continue reading…

Trials Rising Is as Fun as Ever…if You Have a Proper Analog Trigger

Let’s get the not-so-great part out of the way first: Trials Rising, the latest in the delightfully sadistic, physics-fueled motorcycle obstacle course racer, is coming to Nintendo Switch for the first time. That in and of itself is actually good; Trials on the go, yay! (Side note: the mobile version of the series, Trials Frontier, is surprisingly adept from a gameplay perspective.) But playing it with the JoyCon in multiple configurations – first with the JoyCon Grip and then using each JoyCon as its own controller in two-player mode – is far from the ideal Trials experience. Trials is at its best when you can feather a trigger to precisely moderate your gas pedal; the Switch just can’t provide that nearly as effectively as the DualShock 4 or Xbox One controllers can.

Continue reading…

Trials Rising – Tandem Riding Switch Gameplay

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Resident Evil 2 Review – Raccoon City Revisited

Reliving familiar frights can often make for a less-than-exciting horror experience. But with the remake of Resident Evil 2, Capcom shows respect for the original while also going to great lengths to give the macabre atmosphere and tense gameplay a noticeable upgrade. In doing so, this revamp of the classic survival horror game shows that the series can still offer a terrifying experience like no other.

You once again play as either Leon Kennedy or Claire Redfield. A viral outbreak has unleashed hordes of zombies and other grotesque monsters upon Raccoon City, leading to a series of dangerous and nightmare-inducing encounters for the two characters. While both protagonists’ storylines have similar plots and take place in the same locations, there are different supporting characters and unique challenges in each that set the two playthroughs apart.

In traditional Resident Evil fashion, you’re tasked with surviving through the night and overcoming the nightmarish creatures and devious puzzles found throughout the infested streets of the city, the tight, dimly lit halls of the Police Station, and in the subterranean passages below. RE2 is a great mix of the understated survivalist approach from the original games and the tactile, reflex-oriented gameplay from more recent entries. It’s very much a game about escalation; as your resources dwindle and the monsters become fearsome and more elaborate, the pressure is always mounting as the story progresses, and each moment feels just a bit more desperate than the last. Even the smallest of victories can feel like major wins in RE2, and you’ll often find yourself onto the next struggle before you know it.

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While those who played the original game will enter with an idea of what’s to come, the remake does a lot to refresh certain encounters and locations. Though many locales and their layouts are similar–save for the addition of a brand-new area and a new monster to deal with–the events therein are new. Jump scares don’t trigger when you expect them to, or a room that once spelled certain doom in your head is now a safe haven–but then the question arises: if this room is safe, which room is the real dangerous one?

Early Resident Evil games have a reputation for being melodramatic, often unintentionally, but the RE2 remake a more serious tone that makes for a more evocative story. While there is still the undercurrent of the hokey tone from the classics, with the characters cutting the tension with humor when appropriate, the remake’s narrative is far more convincing, propped up by some impressive writing and strong performances that help convey urgency and despair. This is especially evident during the more quiet moments, when the protagonists will try to psych themselves up for what’s to come. Even minor characters are given additional substance in the remake, with poignant moments given to the doomed police lieutenant Marvin Branagh and gun shop owner Robert Kendo.

Both Claire and Leon have two different versions of the campaign, and after finishing the first run for one, you’ll be prompted to start a follow-up with the other. Called Second Scenarios, they allow you to see the larger story from a different perspective. Both scenarios are totally isolated from another, and choices therein won’t impact the other, but what makes these second runs worthwhile are the different encounters and sub-plots that don’t occur in the first. It’s a very interesting way to experience the narrative, and with four versions of the campaigns between the two leads–with the first two averaging 12-15 hours–you constantly uncover new details and events that weren’t present in the previous playthroughs.

Resident Evil 2’s more serious tone is further enhanced by the renewed, fantastically atmospheric presentation, which gives familiar details from the classic game more of a pronounced look and feel. Moving away from the static camera angles of the original, everything has been redesigned with over-the-shoulder gameplay in mind, giving more of a palpable and invasive sense of dread when exploring. This is heightened even more by the impeccable audio and visual design of the game, creating an eerie, isolating vibe throughout. In a number of cases, you’ll only have the illumination of your flashlight as you walk the dark hallways of the bloody and ruined police station, with the ambient rain and distant monster sounds ramping up the tension. You rarely feel safe in RE2, even when you actually are.

The remake’s impressive level of detail is consistently noticeable, but especially so during gorey moments. These gruesome encounters channel the same macabre and staccato approach from the classics, but are now honed through the visual luster of modern rendering and animation. As the zombies are the one constant threat throughout, you quickly become accustomed to seeing flesh chip away as you fire off pistol shots, along with watching the undead torn in half by well-placed shotgun blasts. Though RE2 easily proves to be the goriest game of the series, it never comes off as excessive, and the grizzly details all serve to highlight the grim circumstances of the desperate situation.

Resident Evil 2’s more serious tone is further enhanced by the renewed, fantastically atmospheric presentation…

At the beginning, your meager selection of weapons doesn’t seem like a match for the game’s most intimidating horrors, but there are means available that can give you the upper hand in a lopsided fight. In addition to dismembering enemies with well-aimed shots hindering zombies’ speed and offense, you can barricade certain windows to block ravenous undead from entering from outside. While many of these options are simply a temporary solution to a long-term problem, which can make it seem like they’re not all that worth taking advantage of, they are helpful in a pinch.

While you will no doubt settle into tactics that work well, RE2 throws in some fresh challenges. In one of the game’s more tense encounters, you cross paths with the Tyrant, a hulking presence whose footsteps echo throughout the environment. Though it was a serious foe shown in small doses in the original, this imposing force of nature is now more of a persistent threat that actively stalks you during key periods in the story. Simply ducking into another room isn’t enough, as it’ll quickly follow you in to keep the chase going–similar to the RE3’s Nemesis in that regard. If you manage to create enough distance and it loses line of sight, it’ll disengage, but will remain lurking throughout the halls. With this dynamic, the Tyrant also makes the common foes you’ve gotten a handle of become genuine threats once again. As you find yourself trying to stay focused on the stalking figure, it’s all too easy to round a corner and run into a group of zombies.

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Though the Tyrant offers a nerve-wracking surprise during some of these key moments, which makes the feeling of getting the best of it all the more satisfying, there are other times when it can disrupt Resident Evil 2’s pacing. This is especially frustrating when you’re simply trying to acquire an item or solve a puzzle in a room that the Tyrant and zombies frequent. What should be tense encounters can sometimes become annoying exercises in trying to lure it away, and in some cases it comes off like you’re taking advantage of the Tyrant’s rather limited AI to do just that. The Tyrant can overstay its welcome, but in most cases, its presence is a constant reminder of the looming threat throughout the game.

While RE2 often keeps things serious, it’s not all doom and gloom. In addition to occasional references that break the tension, there’s also a suite of unlockable content available to the delight of RE fans, including the classic RE2 outfits for both Leon and Claire. After completing the campaign for both characters, you’ll unlock a set of bonus modes starring fan-favorites Hunk and Tofu, the later of which is a sentient knife-wielding block of coagulated soy. Both of these extra modes take you on timed gauntlets battling through many intense encounters, with Tofu’s mode being the most difficult scenario in the entire game. They also allow for a chance to cut loose against hordes of monsters without the worry of the larger survival-horror mechanics during the main game.

Resident Evil 2 is not only a stellar remake of the original, but it’s also simply a strong horror game that delivers anxiety-inducing and grotesque situations, topping some of the series’ finest entries. But above all, the remake is an impressive game for the fact that it goes all-in on the pure survival horror experience, confidently embracing its horrifying tone and rarely letting up until the story’s conclusion. Though Resident Evil 2 has its roots firmly in the past, it reworks the familiar horrors into something that feels brand new and all its own.